🐯 A man was attacked by a habituated tiger during a petting event in Germany. After escaping, the tiger was shot for public safety. Big cats are wild, unpredictable apex predators, not pets, performers, or photo props. These tragedies are preventable. www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/tig...

Does SA’s captive lion industry help conserve wild lions? Science says no. 🚩 SA’s Lion BMP states captive-bred lions do not contribute to conservation & are bred for profit. 🚩 Captive lions aren’t counted in wild population numbers. 🚩 Rewilding captive lions is not a viable conservation solution.

SA’s Constitutional Court is considering the inclusion of “well-being” in biodiversity law after a challenge by hunting groups. This definition could strengthen protections for captive & free-roaming wild animals, including lions exploited in captivity. 👉 www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026...

🐾 Animal Welfare in SA’s Captive Lion Industry 🐾 🔎 Part 2: Science shows cub-interaction facilities compromise welfare. Studies found poor social grouping, no retreat from handling, and stress behaviours increasing with human interaction. These are signs of poor welfare — not coping.

Animal Welfare in SA’s Captive Lion Industry Science paints a troubling picture: A review of 90+ studies found major welfare concerns across captive lion facilities. The question remains: what are Minister Aucamp’s next steps to phase out the commercial captive lion industry? 👉 tinyurl.com/2p7p29r8

In 2026, should wild animals still be exploited in circuses for entertainment? More countries are banning the use of wild animals in circuses due to serious welfare concerns. It’s time to leave these outdated practices behind. youtu.be/kQ6xDozaTTc?...

In 2021, risks of ending South Africa’s captive lion industry were raised, but what does the evidence say? ✅ GAP + SWOT + feasibility studies already mapped responsible phase-out options that address jobs, economics & lion welfare. ❓Minister Aucamp: what are your next steps? tinyurl.com/mvct6t2r

Progress to end the captive lion industry remains stalled. ✅ Zero export quota for captive lion bones proposed in 2025 still not finalised ✅ March 2026 - NCOP approved the PROHIBITION NOTICE on Certain Activities Involving African Lions Minister Aucamp: when will you gazette it?

Dr Louise de Waal joined FOUR PAWS SA’s #SOAWA2026 panel on Big Cat Welfare, alongside Dr Audrey Delsink, Kam Chetty & Tony Gerrans, unpacking captive lion welfare, industry myths, governance failures. Catch up here: www.youtube.com/live/1Ahct4V... Images: FOUR PAWS

JOIN US TONIGHT: FourPaws is hosting the annual State of Animal Welfare Address #SOAWA2026 highlighting animal welfare issues across South Africa. 🗓️ Tuesday, 5 May 2026 🕗 7 - 9 pm SAST 📍 Live on YouTube 🔗 Register via link in bio to be part of the conversation Link: bit.ly/YTSOAWA2026

📢 5 years after Minister Barbara Creecy announced plans to end South Africa’s captive lion industry, policy steps have been taken—including a Task Team, White Paper, and 2024 Policy Position to end commercial captive lion exploitation. Yet the industry remains.

📢 South Africa’s path to ending captive lion breeding (2018–2021) 2018: Parliament calls for a ban 2019: Court rules quotas unlawful; lion bone export moratorium imposed 2021: HLP recommendations approved May 2021: SA commits to end the industry www.instagram.com/p/DXyq8zmDJ-...

📸 AI wildlife images may look harmless, but they shape expectations and behaviour. Unrealistic scenes of human-animal interactions normalise exploitative encounters and hide real animal welfare issues. Content → expectations → behaviour → demand → exploitation. More 👉 tinyurl.com/9hs7utat

📢 South Africa’s slow progress in ending captive lion breeding. Over the coming weeks, we’ll unpack delays since the 2021 phase-out commitment and revisit key milestones. The big question remains:❓Minister Aucamp, what are your next steps? Stay tuned & share. #CancelCaptivity

📢 NEWS: SA’s lion bone case now tests conservation ethics, not only quotas. After a 2019 ruling stopped export quotas. Now industry seeks reinstatement over stockpiles worth ~R61m. With civil society admitted, court must decide if the system itself is defensible. More 👉 tinyurl.com/y3m6juzc

On 9 April, two men were charged for trying to sell stolen lion cubs for R100k each. The cubs were returned, but calling this a “happy ending” ignores the central issue: without SA’s captive lion industry, welfare issues such as these would not exist. More 👉 tinyurl.com/426p3m9r

📢 Growing demand for lion bones, skins, teeth & claws is a rising threat to wild lions. Conservationists report targeted killings with demand largely from Asian markets. Evidence shows captive lion farming may fuel this trade. More 👉 tinyurl.com/yaj92mhb

One month on, Minister Willem Aucamp and Minister Patricia de Lille have not responded to our open letter on the captive lion opinion poll. Delays on phasing out the CLB industry risks 66,000 tourism jobs. It’s time to choose what’s best for SA: #WildOverCaptive More 👉 tinyurl.com/cyj8kpux

In a 29 March piece, a Daily Friend contributor misrepresents our #WildOverCaptive poll & claims “canned” hunting is illegal. We’ve written to Daily Friend to rebut flawed arguments & defend peer-reviewed, evidence-based research. dailyfriend.co.za/2026/04/10/c...

Our #WildOverCaptive poll shows most international and local audiences support phasing out SA’s captive lion industry. Key reasons: welfare concerns, ethics, and the belief animals deserve protection for their own sake. This could push travellers to choose other safari destinations. #CancelCaptivity

Our #WildOverCaptive poll shows that SA’s tourism sector could suffer significant losses. We reached out to those whose livelihoods depend on SA’s attraction as a tourism destination to gauge how business owners feel about the impact of continuing the exploitative commercial captive lion industry.

New international poll puts SA’s captive lion industry back in spotlight. Growing concern over ethics, tourism losses & reputational damage shows it’s bigger than animal welfare only - SA’s global image, wildlife future & appeal to responsible travellers at stake. More 👉 tinyurl.com/y7hvpv37

Our HELD CAPTIVE photographic exhibition at the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route was a huge success! Many of our visitors were impacted on a deep emotional level after viewing our awareness exhibition on South Africa’s captive predator breeding industry & its ties with the tiger trade in Southeast Asia.

In our #WildOverCaptive poll, not only international tourists feel strongly about the unethical nature of commercially breeding lions. Three-quarters of South Africans believe that banning the commercial breeding of lions would make our country more attractive & provide greater economic benefits.

⚖️ CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – JABULA Animal Law Moot ⚖️ Final-year & postgraduate law students in South Africa can apply to argue legal issues around the commercial captive predator industry. 🗓️ 17–18 Sept 2026, UWC Apply by 31 May 👉 tinyurl.com/ysfwhm7j More info: bloodlions.org/moot-applica...

Open letter to Minister Aucamp: SA has taken steps since 2018 to end the commercial captive lion industry. Delays risk our global reputation & tourism sector. We urge Minister Aucamp to continue the science-based process to phase it out 👉 tinyurl.com/2j7e66tc. DA Resolution 👉 tinyurl.com/mrzz2enz

Reminder 📢HELD CAPTIVE photography exhibition starts on Friday The Baardskeerdersbos Art Route WILDLIFE HUB is ready to launch. It showcases our HELD CAPTIVE photographic exhibition & a range of local Overberg wildlife artists. Come & meet us for a chat over a glass of Painted Wolf Wines

In our #WildOverCaptive poll, Blood Lions found nearly 3 in 4 international tourists would avoid visiting SA if commercial captive lion breeding continues—and choose another destination instead. The risk to tourism is real. Show support for #WildOverCaptive 👉 tinyurl.com/4cfrwfxm 🦁

“South Africa’s conservation reputation is one of its greatest international assets. Yet latest opinion polling suggests that the country’s captive lion industry… is eroding the credibility on which that reputation depends,” says Dr Adam Cruise in the Daily Maverick 👉 tinyurl.com/388zry83

New economic poll highlights tourists favour wildlife-friendly tourism 3 out of 4 tourists: ❌ Disapprove of commercial captive lion breeding ✔️ Favour wildlife-friendly tourism ❌ Believe breeding lions negatively affects the economic, ethical & reputational interests of SA 👉 tinyurl.com/4cfrwfxm

❓Why did Blood Lions & World Animal Protection commission a tourism poll? To understand how travellers feel about SA’s lion farming—and if reversing the planned phase-out would affect travel choices. Stay tuned as we share #WildOverCaptive results. 🦁 #CancelCaptivity

🦁“Canned”/captive lion hunts still occur in South Africa.🔫 Trophy exports rose from <100/yr before 2005 to 1,061 in 2016, & still averaged 430 annually (2017–21). Footage often shows lions shot from vehicles or killed without a fair chance to escape. More 👉 bloodlions.org/canned-hunti...

📢 Meet Karl Ammann of Tiger Mafia. His powerful images feature in the Held Captive photography exhibition by Blood Lions at the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route (27–29 Mar 2026). Investigating wildlife trafficking for decades, his work exposes the cruelty behind captive predator industries. 🦁

🦠72 tigers died from canine distemper at 2 Tiger Kingdom facilities in Thailand. Over 240 tigers were kept for cub petting and photo ops. This tragedy highlights the animal welfare and public health risks of keeping wild animals in captivity for entertainment. More 👉 tinyurl.com/bdk7nkm7

Our HELD CAPTIVE exhibition comes to the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route 27–29 Mar 2026. Meet photographers including Pippa Hankinson, Stephanie Klarmann & Louise de Waal & hear the stories behind images exposing captive predator exploitation. 📍Baardskeerdersbos Community Centre 🎥 tinyurl.com/2u5rmc82

We’re proud to share that Blood Lions and Youth For Lions are now members of the Asia for Animals Coalition and its Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition. Together we’ll challenge wildlife exploitation online and beyond. 🦁🌍

🦁📸 The Held Captive exhibition by @Blood Lions is coming to Baardskeerdersbos, Western Cape for the Art Route (27–29 March 2026). Explore powerful images exposing SA’s captive predator industry, meet the team & two featured photographers, and join the conversation.

🦁 Does bovine TB threaten wild lions? Evidence says no. Lions in Kruger National Park remain stable and resilient, with no visible impact on population viability. Captive breeding isn’t needed to “save” them. Read more 👉 bloodlions.org/bovine-tuber...

📢 BREAKING NEWS: Mpumalanga will no longer issue permits to captive lion facilities, taking steps to phase out the industry. The province backs national plans for a lawful, humane closure and stronger welfare standards. A major shift for lions and biodiversity. 🦁 Read more 👉 tinyurl.com/3yadaefb

🦁 Interacting with predator cubs may look harmless, but early removal from mothers, bottle feeding & constant handling can harm their health and mental well-being. Using the Five Domains Model helps reveal hidden welfare impacts in captivity. Learn more 👉 bloodlions.org/theyfeeltoo4/

Does bovine TB threaten SA’s wild lions? The captive lion industry claims it’s a major risk & positions captive breeding as the “solution.” But science shows TB occurs naturally & does NOT threaten lions at the population level. Wild lions remain stable. Read more 👉 bloodlions.org/bovine-tuber...

Provincial backing to phase out SA’s captive lion industry is gaining ground, reports Daily Maverick. After years of welfare failures and false conservation claims, real reform is being tested. The question now: will national leadership act? 🦁 www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026...

The welfare of captive-bred lions in ‘canned’ hunts is compromised from birth to death. If you see ‘canned’ hunting content online, don’t engage, as this feeds the algorithms. Instead, report it to SMACC. Don’t feed the cruelty. Be part of the solution. Report it! 👉 tinyurl.com/mudu7w3x

‘Canned’ lion hunting refers to killing captive-bred, habituated lions in small fenced camps where escape is impossible. These lions don’t fear humans, kill is guaranteed, and welfare is compromised. Further, it’s damaging SA’s conservation & tourism reputation. More 👉 tinyurl.com/3ctn3jtv

Volunteers who witness cruelty at captive wildlife projects often feel silenced. You can still act. Report unethical SA-based projects to Wild Choices for transparent facility listings, and report online animal cruelty to the SMACC. Speak up - animals depend on it. More 👉 tinyurl.com/4rsfevjn

Wildlife volunteering in SA - Many projects use volunteers to hand-raise predator cubs under false “conservation” claims. Red flags include cub petting, constant “orphans”, and no verifiable conservation outcomes. Say no to unethical captive predator projects. Watch 👉 tinyurl.com/5n943uw7

We’re proud to announce support from @Voiceless for an animal law moot court project, in collaboration with Animal Law Reform & UWC’s Global Environmental Law Centre. The project builds capacity to address the phase-out of SA’s captive lion industry. Watch 👉 tinyurl.com/bdzj94bp

📢 BREAKING NEWS 📢 Cruelty exposed in South Africa’s cub-petting industry During an investigation of several cub-petting facilities in South Africa, LadyFreethinker came across widespread animal welfare concerns and even cruelty. More 👉 tinyurl.com/4pfnrz2k

Cub petting & predator walks are hidden forms of animal cruelty. Cubs are purely bred for exploitation, suffering cruelty throughout life. If you see such content online: be informed, don’t engage (it boosts reach), and report it. Be part of the solution. Report 👉 tinyurl.com/3xu99cvp

Should we pet cubs or walk with predators? Cubs aren’t orphans - removed from mothers, hand-raised for tourism, and never released. Their welfare is compromised, interactions are dangerous, and many killed for trophies, body parts or are held captive for life. More 👉 tinyurl.com/46mf9knc